


Keep Your Distance

by diamondforger



Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Category: Kamen Rider Zi-O
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Car Accidents, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26751112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diamondforger/pseuds/diamondforger
Summary: Woz promised he wouldn't interfere with Sougo's new life, but he couldn't just stand by and watch the car hit his king.
Relationships: Tokiwa Sougo & Woz
Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945867
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	Keep Your Distance

**Author's Note:**

> No 8. WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO?  
> “Don’t Say Goodbye” | **Abandoned** | Isolation

Keep his distance. That’s what Woz has promised he’d do. He intended to keep that promise.

It was hard at times, seeing his lord approaching a problem and knowing how easy it would be just to step in and intervene. He resisted the temptation. Sougo needed to be given the space to learn and grow on his own.

It was easy to justify staying back when the mistakes were small. Let Sougo fail a test because he’d rather watch documentaries about kings than pick up a textbook. Let him fall asleep in class because he stayed out all night with Geiz. Let him get scraped up because he was was trying to impress Tsukuyomi with silly bike tricks.

This was different. This wasn’t just any mistake. This was big. And it was sudden. Sougo was distracted, arguing with the others as they rode their bikes down the street. They did this every day, locals knew to watch out for students and were careful when school was getting out. Usually it was plenty safe to mess around. 

Usually. 

Woz didn't so much as see the car as know it would be there. Time never fit him well. He couldn't see the future, per se, but the moment he heard the screech of tires coming down the street, he knew what the result would be. At least, he knew what it would be if he didn't act. 

The price of keeping his distance would be his king bleeding out on the pavement, neck broken, dead before the ambulance arrived. He had only a few seconds to make a decision, but he didn't need that much time. He knew he had to save his lord. 

The funny thing about Woz's relationship with time was the only future he could never see was his own. He had no idea that appearing next to Sougo and pushing him out of the way would cause the car to swerve. He had no idea that the price of saving Sougo from being hit was taking the blow himself. 

It wasn't an unexpected price, he thought as he lay on the ground, blood pooling underneath him. It was fair, really. A life for a life. The universe seemed to like things like that. Things that kept the balance. 

It was a fitting way to die, sacrificing himself for the man he'd dedicated himself to.

"Oh my god, is he okay?"

"Call an ambulance!"

"Where did he even come from?"

"I don't know but he saved me from that crazy driver."

Sougo was leaning over him, face contorted with concern. He took Woz's hand in his own. "Hey, stay with us. The ambulance will be here soon."

"Yes, my lord," Woz answered without thought. No one had touched him in so long. Finally, he was finally able to touch his king again, even it was just holding his hand. 

"Oh no, he's concussed," Tsukuyomi said from behind Sougo. She turned to speak into her phone. "Yes sir, he's awake, but he's confused about where he is."

Woz laughed. The movement caused a searing pain in his chest. Broken ribs for sure. He'd had worse. He might actually survive this encounter. 

"Do you have anyone you want us to call, sir?" Sougo squeezed Woz's hand gently. "Emergency contact?"

Woz laughed even more, nearly choking on the blood that was filling his mouth. Each movement was painful, but he couldn't stop. He'd rather have died on impact than go through this. Having his king look at him with so much concern, but no recognition.

Tears were pouring down his face as Sougo looked around in confusion. Tsukuyomi shrugged as she continued talking with emergency services.

"Stop asking him questions, idiot," Geiz was kneeling on Woz's other side, "You're making it worse."

"I just want to help," Sougo pouted, "He saved me."

Sougo's hand was shaking as it squeezed Woz's. Woz wanted to badly to reach out and sooth him. It was distressing to see his lord upset like this and not be able to do anything about it. 

"Don't worry about me," Woz said. Tears were falling from his eyes and blood was trickling down his chin. "I'll be okay."

"Yeah, you're gonna be fine," Geiz said, "The hospital's nearby, they'll be here soon."

Woz couldn't take his eyes off Sougo to respond to the encouragement. Sougo was on the verge of crying, biting his quivering lower lip. It was a little strange. His lord had never been the type to care for strangers. Had this new world truly made him a softhearted person, or did his lord remember something?

Sirens started in the distance and Geiz stood. Sougo stayed kneeling by Woz. As the ambulance came to a stop and the paramedics piled out, Woz lifted his lord's hand to his mouth. He placed a gentle kiss against Sougo's knuckles. He'd done it a thousand times before, it was a movement that felt as instinctive as breathing.

Sougo's eyes widened and he blushed. 

The paramedics interrupted the moment and Woz dropped Sougo's hand. As Woz was lifted onto the stretcher, he kept his eyes on Sougo. The last thing he saw before the ambulance doors shut was his lord kneeling on the ground, staring at the bloody mark left from the kiss. 

...

Time in the hospital went by in a blur. Woz pretended to have amnesia, that was always the easiest way to avoid prodding questions about his lack of ID. The nurses fussed over it, of course, asking him question after question to try and find his family. 

Normally that sort of thing didn't bother him, but after being so close to his old friends again, it hurt. He wished he could just tell them the truth, he wasn't the one with amnesia, his family was. 

The nurses meant well, they really did, but Woz didn't know how much long he could stand being reminded of his friends. They weren't his family by any definition, but he missed them terribly. Missed them every day. Especially when he was couped up, unable to even watch them from afar. 

He pushed the pain down. He'd already come to terms with being alone. He'd come to terms with being forgotten. 

At least he thought he had. 

His first response when a nurse came in excitedly announcing he had a visitor was nerves. He didn't want to deal with disappointing anyone searching for a lost loved one.

But he agreed to see them, he didn't have a good excuse not to. The last visitor he was expecting was his lord. 

It was a surprise so sharp that Woz almost broke down the second Sougo entered the room. Woz wanted to throw himself at Sougo's feet and beg him to remember. Maybe if Sougo remember Woz could go home. Go to back to the shop that was the closet thing he'd had to a home in this time. 

"You dropped this."

Woz blinked and saw Sougo holding his book out stiffly. 

"Wh-when you saved me, you dropped it."

Woz looked down, struggling to keep tears out of his eyes. It was good. He hadn't been able to ask about the book without giving away that he remembered something. He'd have gone searching for it himself if he'd been able to stand without the aide of crutches. 

"Thank you, " Woz bowed his head, "It's very important to me and I thought I'd lost it."

Sougo approached Woz slowly, placing the book delicately at the foot of his bed. 

"I... I have money too," he said, still oddly quiet, "For saving me. Well, it's my uncle's money. He thought we owed you something."

"I don't want money," Woz snapped, voice shaking. He just wanted Sougo to remember him. He wanted his lord back. 

"Sorry, sir." Sougo bowed politely. "I didn't mean to upset you."

The formality broke something inside Woz. Sougo had never addressed him like that. He'd rather have been insulted and degraded than see his king bow to him. 

Woz forced himself to keep a still face as he picked up his book. "It's not your fault. Thank you again, for returning my book."

Sougo nodded and turned to leave with a quickness that showed just how uncomfortable he was with the situation. 

His obvious discomfort was the last knife in Woz's heart and the door had barely shut behind Sougo before Woz started sobbing. 


End file.
